Create a new Workflow

Building a new Workflow to store your data in Risk Cloud 

What is a Workflow?

A Workflow is a combination of Steps, Paths, Fields, and Routing Logic that combine to form a system in an Application. Records move within Applications through Workflows. Each Workflow has a single type of Record that moves through it. 

The Application Canvas is where Workflow Steps, Routing Logic, and relationships for a particular Application can be configured. 

The image below shows the Workflow Canvas for an Enterprise Risk Management Application. The Application consists of three Workflows: Risks, Assessments, and Mitigations. The circles and arrows denote the Steps comprising the Workflows and the Paths connecting them respectively. 

When Should you Create a Separate Workflow?

• When multiple Records need to be linked to a single Record. For example, multiple mitigations may be required for a single risk assessment, so mitigations and assessments are captured by separate Workflows.

• When one Record needs to be linked to multiple Records. For example, controls might have to be linked to both risks and policies.  

• If you want to be able to perform activities in parallel. For example, you might want to send out multiple approval requests at a time.

• When want to capture different Due Dates. For example, you might want to have two sets of due dates, a "Next Review" Due Date and a "Certification of Insurance Expiration" Due Date, for a vendor. These could be implemented through having a 'Review' Workflow and 'Certificate of Insurance' Workflow.

Step-by-step guide to create a new Workflow

1. Navigate to Build > Applications and click into the appropriate Application. 

2. Click + (located to the top right), or Shift+Click on the Application Canvas to create a new Workflow. 

You may have the option to select the Workflow type if your environment has a Jira integration enabled. If not, the LogicGate Workflow type will be created by default.

3. Enter the Workflow Name (e.g. Risk Register) and then the Record Prefix (e.g. Risk), which is the prefix given to a Record as it moves through the Workflow. Click + Create Workflow to finish creating the Workflow.

Edit a Workflow

Use the builder side panel to edit a Workflow once it has been created. If the panel is not open, you can click on the Workflow's settings cog to open it (alternatively, right-click on the workflow and click Edit Workflow or click the Workflow background if the panel is already open). 

The Settings Menu

Within the Settings menu for a Workflow, you can:

• Edit the name of the Workflow
• Provide a description
• Edit the name of the Record generated in the Workflow by setting the "Record Prefix" 

• Set a Primary Field for the Workflow which provides a unique identification for the Record and will help end users quickly find recently viewed or favorited records

• Enable and set a Workflow Service Level Agreements (SLAs) which specifies the time within which a Record needs to be completed 

The Workflow Mappings Menu

Workflows can be connected by mapping Workflows to one another. Refer to the Connecting Workflows Together article to learn more about Workflow Mapping. 

The Steps Order Menu

The Steps comprising a Workflow can be viewed under the Steps tab. The tab provides information on:

• The Step name
• The Step type. Steps can be of three types: Origin Steps, which are the starting points of Workflows, Chain Steps, which are middle Steps in Workflows, and End Steps, which are the final Steps of Workflows. New Records can be created in the Origin Step of a Workflow from the Work Queue. 
• Steps can be reordered by dragging and dropping them. Reordering steps feeds into various places throughout the Workflow which have drop-downs requiring the selection of a specific Step from a Workflow.

The Access Settings Menu

The Access Settings menu allows for a more granular control of access to individual Records within the Workflow. Restricting access via User Groups provides an additional layer of security for your records that can be used when sensitive information should not be available to all users who can access the Workflow. (Roles and Permission Sets can be configured through Build > Access > Roles and Build > Access > Permission Sets. Refer to Getting Started with User Groups article for more information.)

The Advanced Menu

The Advanced menu contains various features that can enhance your Workflow, such as:

• Workflow Type - Enables features and automated functionality specific to Control Frameworks
• Automated Evidence Collection - Allows users to set up automated evidence collection for controls mapped to the workflow

The Reset Menu

The Reset menu contains information about how many records are in the workflow and allows for the bulk deletion of all the records in the Workflow. Proceed with caution! This cannot be undone.

Delete a Workflow

To delete a Workflow, select Delete Workflow from the side panel or right-click on the Workflow, and click Delete Workflow. A dialog box will appear, asking to confirm the deletion. Type in the name of the Workflow and click Delete to permanently remove it from your Application. Proceed with caution! This cannot be undone.

Next Steps

After creating a Workflow, the next step is to create a Step to house your Fields and other routing logic. See Create a Step to learn more.